If-Then Tables for Continued COVID-19 Mitigation

As previously discussed on this blog, Southcentral Foundation provides its managers considerable freedom in many areas to choose the style and approach that works best for their focus area and the team(s) they manage. However, there are some scenarios where SCF requires more direction to managers, when a consistent approach across the entire organization is needed. In times when things are rapidly changing, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, SCF makes use of a wide variety of tools to communicate critical information to managers in its many different programs. One example of this is an if-then table.

The COVID-19 if-then table provides information to managers about what to do in a variety of pandemic related scenarios such as when employees have close contact with someone confirmed COVID positive, when employees are being tested for COVID-19 due to exposure or symptoms, when employees have a household member quarantining due to exposure, and many other cases. This tool helps eliminate uncertainty and ensure that best practices are followed when dealing with potential COVID-19 infections. The goal is both to ensure that employees who are infected with COVID-19 do not come to work, and that they do not become infected while at work for the safety of all employees.

There are several advantages to using tools like if-then tables. They provide clear and concise information in a format that is easy to read, and allows users to quickly find the information most relevant to their situation. They are easily accessible, being stored on the corporate intranet where they can be quickly found by anyone who needs to use them (in this case, managers). And they reduce the need for other resources to handle the situations they cover; for example, the COVID-19 if-then table has reduced the amount of calls to SCF’s Employee Health department, which was already dealing with a large volume of requests for assistance concerning COVID-19 inquiries.

The COVID-19 if-then table is maintained by SCF’s Quality Assurance department, based on CDC and local guidelines. For more information about if-then tables, or any other aspects of SCF’s approach to management, feel free to contact the SCF Learning Institute.

The chart is available upon request. To request this document, contact the SCF Learning Institute.